Fiction

Marianne Ruth Kendall

Family Matters

Kimberley Weatherby leads a privileged if rather boring existence with her well-to-do family in the Isle of Man. Her long time boyfriend has left her. Then two men enter her life, a gorgeous newcomer to the island and a mysterious foreign stranger. Unfortunately it was the one she doesn't want that proposes marriage. Meantime she has to navigate some challenging personal relationships.

There are her best friends: Lisa, caring but overemotional and Julie, an ambitious single mother with an eye on the financial aspects of life. Then her immediate family presents mutiple challenges. Her widowed stepmother, Irene, is demanding and bitter. Older brother Richard is exasperatingly dull, if diligent. And younger brother Bob is full of youthful exuberance and always getting into harmless scrapes – or are they?

Her romantic dilemma is quickly overshadowed by a dramatic and tragic event which exposes secrets of everyone. Reeling from shock she must find the strength to resolve a dangerous situation and deal with repercussions that affect everyone around her.

Full Of Surprises

Beverley is an ambitious accountant who jumps at the chance to investigate irregularities in the new Turkish subsidiary despite remonstrations from Gary, her husband. She finds it impossible to penetrate the wall of silence she encounters in the Istanbul offices. Suspecting the mystery will be revealed by a visit to the factory in Izmir, she secretly arranges this with the help of two Turkish brothers, one of whom Beverley finds desperately attractive. Again she finds obstruction and hostility which lead her to suspect serious criminal activity. Without evidence, she is wary of voicing her suspicions except to her old boss back home. Meanwhile her marriage becomes more precarious and the rest of her family have additional problems of their own.

Returning to Turkey with Jason, the UK production director, they arrange a daring night raid on the factory and find a stash of guns and other indications of a major international crime ring. Now begins a cat-and-mouse game with the Turks involving violence, drugs and, eventually, murder. How can Beverlerley bring the criminals to justice – and will this help either her career or her marriage?